Then Came You (The Wilde Sisters #2) (12 page)

The car ride back to the resort was quiet and awkward. Once he pulled into his reserved spot, he shut off the ignition and pivoted in his seat so he could look at Thyme. Her unruly curls framed her cherub face, making her appear vulnerable and incredibly sexy. The overwhelming urge to pull her onto his lap consumed his thoughts, making his pants feel uncomfortable once again.

But the air in the car was even more uncomfortable. “Thyme.” She turned to face him, disappointment evident in her amber eyes. “I admire and respect you.” Her defensive stare softened, her shoulders relaxed. “What happened between us was…inevitable. There’s a lot of chemistry between us; we can’t deny that. But I respect your wishes to keep our relationship…professional.”

Thyme nodded and licked her lips.
Why did she go and do that?
The vixen tempted him beyond control. He had to rein it in. Be a gentleman.

“Thank you. This…job means everything to me. Maddie means everything to me. I don’t want to let her down and us…uh, hooking up wouldn’t be in her best interest.”

At the moment he only had
his
best interest at heart, which made her the more responsible adult. Should he point out that irony to her?

No. Let her figure it out. Thyme had her share of critics, she being her worst. In the meantime he’d get to know his daughter and have fun getting to know Thyme Wilde as well.

He got out of the car, slipped to her side, and opened the door for her. She let him hold her hand and escort her to her suite. Once she used the key card to let herself in, she turned and smiled.

“I had a wonderful time tonight, Grayson. I didn’t think I would, but I did. Your friends aren’t pretentious like I expected them to be. You should hang out with Scott more often. I think he likes you.” She patted his arm, slipped into her room, and closed the door gently in his face.

***

Thyme

And the Emmy goes to…Thyme Wilde!
Once the door clicked shut, she slid out of her shoes and plopped herself on the floor in the entryway. Her dress rode up, revealing her bare thighs that burned with passion and lust from Grayson’s heated gaze and were instantly chilled by the cool tiles. Not that he’d been staring at her thighs or her ass. Her chest, yes. She caught his cool green eyes on her cleavage quite a few times during the night. Maybe she should press her breasts against the cold tile…

Oh, the temptation to ask Grayson in, have a night cap, remove her clothes, remove his clothes, and make love for hours was a bit overpowering.

After years and years of being the floundering screw-up, Thyme finally understood and actually enjoyed what responsibility meant, and had a job she cared about. Sleeping with the boss—or whatever he was to her—was a definite no-no.

And the four hundred other reasons why they weren’t compatible were good enough to keep her panties on as well.

Chapter Seven

Grayson

His cold shower last night didn’t help. He’d have to research other remedies. Grayson tossed and turned until the wee hours of the morning, unable to get the taste of Thyme’s lips, the softness of her skin, and the sweet, flowery scent of her hair out of his mind. Most likely staying away from and not thinking about Thyme Wilde would do the trick.

Only that was impossible. Not only because she was Maddie’s nanny, but because he didn’t
want
to not think about her. He really thought she’d invite him in for a nightcap.

Which would have lead to more hot, steamy kisses, tender caresses, a fantastic striptease, and the most incredible sex.

Here we go again.
He needed to stop thinking this way soon, or invest in larger shorts.

Grayson looked both ways down the hallway, adjusted himself, and knocked on Thyme’s door. The woman had a habit of making him stand out in the hall. Not that she knew he was coming this early in the morning. He’d promised to spend the day with Maddie and he learned she was an early riser. Since he didn’t sleep much anyway, he went for a run along the beach at five, took another cold shower at six, ate a banana and downed a cup of coffee and paced his suite until the sun had fully risen.

He tapped on the door and waited. Knocked louder and tapped his foot restlessly against the marble tiles. A moment later he heard shuffling, what he imagined was cursing, and the click of the lock.

“Oh.” Grayson couldn’t think of anything more appropriate to say. He’d never seen a woman look so…disheveled.

“Not a word. Understand?” Thyme grumbled and turned away.

“Sure.” He entered the suite and closed the door behind him while taking in the view of her white silk robe cupping her perfect backside. The sheerness of the robe would have given him an extra eyeful had she not been wearing a long t-shirt underneath. Another sharp contrast between Thyme and the women he associated with. The sleepovers were pre-planned, and the women he’d slept with preferred expensive, matching lingerie over frumpy shirts or complete nakedness. Grayson had a feeling Thyme would stay in the buff all night long.

“I didn’t sleep much. I have a little headache and I’m hungry.” Thyme entered the kitchen and filled the coffee maker with water. Her auburn hair was a crazy mass of curls and knots. An eagle could live in that thing for the winter.

“I said don’t say a word.”

“I didn’t say anything. I—”

“I can tell by the way you’re looking at my hair. No need to say it out loud.”

He shifted his stare to her face. Her color was ashen, and dark half-moons hung under her beautiful eyes. If her lips were red and swollen he’d imagine she spent a restless night in the arms of her lover. But they weren’t.

He knew how to change that. Even in her state of disarray she turned him on. The open gap where her robe didn’t quite meet
revealed a cartoon character on her shirt instead of skin, and he was still turned on.

The hell with manners and sophistication. He wanted to taste her plump lips in his mouth. Now.

Grayson took two steps toward her; she took two steps back. He zeroed in on her mouth and backed her into a corner, trapping her with his arms. Her eyes widened in surprise and her gaze lowered to his lips. Yes, she wanted this just as badly as he did.

“Last night,” he whispered. “I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to—” A knock at the door startled them both.

“That’s uh, probably Maddie.” Thyme ducked under his arm and scurried to the door.

“I had a sleepover at Eva’s. She let me swim in her bathtub and we ordered room service and they brought me chocolate milk and oatmeal cookies.” Maddie rattled as soon as the door opened. She gave Thyme a quick hug and looked over at Grayson. “Your mommy said you liked oatmeal cookies when you were a boy.”

“Who doesn’t like oatmeal cookies?” Frankly, he couldn’t ever remember his mother baking cookies or him eating them, but he didn’t want to be the one to burst Maddie’s bubble.

“I’m sorry. We obviously disturbed you two. I thought you’d be up and about by now. I’ll take Maddie and—”

Thyme’s mouth hung open as she obviously became aware of how the scene looked. She in her robe, making coffee. Granted, he had on khaki shorts and a polo shirt, but he could have thrown on his clothes in seconds. Thyme needed more…time to get herself back together.

“Mother. Good morning.” He stepped forward, blocking the view of the half-dressed woman behind him, and kissed his mother’s cheek. “I just got here myself. I think I woke Thyme up. Let’s go round up some breakfast and give her some time to shower.”

“Yes, I think that’s a great idea. I’ll keep Maddie here so you two can
talk.
” The way Thyme emphasized the word
talk
made it very clear what she wanted him to talk about.

Grayson turned to look at Thyme. She crossed her arms and raised a stern eyebrow. No wonder Maddie was so well behaved. If looks could kill. But he could dish them out just the same. He slid his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. First thing in the morning, after a night of tossing and turning and endless fantasies and pointless cold showers, was not the opportune time to tell his mother about her granddaughter.

“Grayson,” she warned.

“Thyme, are you okay?” Eva stepped around Grayson so she could see them both.

“I’m fine.” Thyme smiled at his mother and relaxed her posture. “I really appreciate your watching Maddie last night. Grayson and I had a chance to talk about a few things he’d like to fill you in on over breakfast.”

No, they hadn’t talked much about Maddie or how Grayson was going to introduce her to his family. They’d spent their time locking lips and flirting shamelessly under the moonlight.

“Oh really?” Eva beamed.

Great. His matchmaking mother had one thing on her mind.

Wedding bells. Daughter-in-law. And grandchildren. Okay, maybe three things.

Well, one out of three wouldn’t be so bad. Grayson sighed and, draping an arm across his mother’s shoulder, led her to the front door. “Come on, Mother. We’ll go for a walk along the beach, then return for the ladies and bring them out for breakfast.”

“Yay! Can I have chocolate chip pancakes?”

“Maddie, you’re probably on sugar overload from last night.”

“I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek.” The little schemer nodding her head so vigorously it was a surprise she didn’t knock the smile off her face.

“Let’s try to be a little healthy this morning, okay?” Thyme hugged Maddie close to her side and nodded toward Grayson. “Give me thirty minutes to get cleaned up.” She gave him a stern look before turning toward Maddie. “Let’s go get you cleaned up as well, princess.”

Wasn’t he the man in charge? Wasn’t Thyme under his employment? He’d never dated a woman who liked to take charge.

But maybe he was ready for a change.

***

Thyme

“Well, that wasn’t the news I was expecting,” Eva said as soon as Grayson and Maddie left the table to go collect sea shells. The resort’s private restaurant allowed its guests to dine and beachcomb at the same time.

“He thought you’d be disappointed in him.”

“I can honestly say my son has never done anything to disappoint me. Although I was expecting him to follow up that news with some more.”

Thyme shot her a questioning look, to which she smiled coyly.

“I thought you’d be elated. It was obvious how much you cared about Maddie even before finding out she was your granddaughter.”

“Oh, I am thrilled. That little girl is going to be spoiled. Not just with material things. I plan on making up for the emotional distance I put on Grayson growing up.”

“He’s had only kind things to say about you, Eva. He holds you very high on a pedestal.”

“Yes, my son is extremely loyal and respectful. He’d never say an unkind word about anyone. But I did him a disservice when he was younger. I wasn’t the mother I wanted to be. I let society and other people tell me how to raise my son and didn’t show him enough affection when he was little and needed it most.” She stared off into the distance, a sad smile on her face as she watched Grayson and Maddie dig in the sand. “I’d always hoped he’d find someone to love. Someone who would help him let his guard down.” She reached out and took Thyme’s hand in hers. “I thought his announcement would be about you.”

“Me? Oh, you thought he and I…? No, I’m just Maddie’s nanny. Grayson and I are from different worlds. Well, different states. And classes. That may sound old fashioned but it’s true. And he’s so…” She twirled her free hand in the air. “And I’m so…” She shrugged. “And we’d never…No. Yeah, wrong impression there, Mrs. Montgomery. We only pretended to be dating until he told you about Maddie.”

Eva tilted her head back and laughed. “That was the exact same response he gave me when I asked about your relationship.”

Thyme stilled. So her insecurities were dead on. Grayson may see her as a quick lay, but she’d never amount to anything more than
the nanny.

“Thyme! Eva! Look what I found? It’s sea glass.” Maddie pumped her little legs along the path that led from the beach to the restaurant’s patio. “It’s blue and green. Almost see-through.”

Like Grayson’s eyes. “It’s beautiful, Maddie. We’ll put that in a special place so it doesn’t get lost, okay?”

“Okay. Can we go for a boat ride now?”

“Who said anything about a boat ride?” Thyme looked questioningly at Grayson.

“I chartered a boat for the day. We can go snorkeling and swimming or just cruise along the island. Whatever you ladies would like.”

Ugh. How could she tell her heart to stop racing when he went off and did something stupidly kind like that?

“I hope you two are up for it. I sort of promised Maddie that the four of us would spend the day together. Unless you have other plans?”

“Oh, I’d love to. Thank you, honey.” Tears filled Eva’s eyes. She stood and wrapped Grayson in a long embrace. He looked shocked by the show of emotion but quickly accepted it and hugged her in return. Thyme couldn’t do the polite thing and look away. She heard Eva sniff delicately and pat him on the back. “My darn allergies are flaring up. I’m going to go to my room, freshen up, change into my swimsuit, and pack a few things for our trip. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” Eva fled without glancing back at anyone.

“You just made her day.”

Grayson’s lopsided grin appeared as he watched his mother go back into the hotel. “It’s just a boat ride.”

Thyme looked over at Maddie, who played in the sand with her shells and sea glass. “But you included her. She’s already head-over-heels in love with Maddie.”

“I know. She thinks it’s the right thing…not telling her about me.” He looked over at Maddie and grinned again.

Damn him and that adorable grin. Damn him for looking proud to be Maddie’s father. Damn, damn, damn. How the heck was she ever going to fall out of love with him if he…

Thyme gasped and stared into those eyes that mirrored Maddie’s sea glass.

She loved him. That would never do. She needed to run. Escape and hide.

“Your family needs time to bond. You have your mother to help you with anything Maddie may need. I need the day off. You three have fun.”

Thyme turned and fled the same direction Eva went. Although her tears were not of joy.

They were of despair.

***

Grayson

By the time Grayson brought Maddie back to the suite it was dark and stormy. The clouds and rain moved in fast, but Grayson had been tracking the storm and got back to the shore with plenty of time to spare. He brought his mother and Maddie out for dinner and then, at Maddie’s insistence and a promise of a kiss to his elbow, for ice cream sundaes. The girl had quite the sweet tooth. And a way with words.

Not surprisingly, Thyme made herself sparse, most likely holed up in her room. The woman put out more signals than a traffic officer in the middle of Times Square. There was no denying they had amazing chemistry, they got along pretty well, and she was wonderful with Maddie. But something spooked her this morning. Hell, he’d done exactly what she asked him to do. He told his mother about his illegitimate child and instead of being horrified, Eva was elated. There was no sign of disappointment, no mention of his father or grandmother and what they would say. Thyme was right.

Eva had surprised him by wrapping him in a hug, spilling tears on his shoulder. In all of his thirty-two years, he couldn’t remember ever seeing his mother cry. He knew she did, especially after a visit from Sophia, but she’d politely excuse herself to her room before any moisture showed in her eyes.

After he helped Maddie brush her teeth and change into pajamas, he read her a Disney princess story, tucked her in, kissed her cheek, and went looking for Thyme. Light seeped under the door to her room. He put his ear up to it and listened.